Fluid-pressure coupling for train-pipes.



L. D. WOODRUFF.

I FLUID PRESSURE COUPLING FOR TRAIN PIPES.

APPLICATION IEILEI) JULY 26, 1913.

1,102,622. Patented July 7, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS 80.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D. C,

L. D. WOODRUFP. FLUID PRESSURE COUPLING FOR TRAIN PIPES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1913. 1,1 G2,,622.

Patented July 7, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

611 row,

(0. PHOTO-LITHO. WASHINGTON. D. C

L. D. WOODRUFF. FLUID PRESSURE COUPLING FOR TRAIN PIPES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1913.

Patented July 7, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. I 3mm 0'6 Lflmooxufgg W T 35k w my LEONIDAS D. WOODRUFF, OFTELAJITIESBURJI MISSISSIPPI.

FLUID-PRESSURE COUPLING FOR TRAIN-PIPES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 7, 1914.

Application filed July 26, 1913. Serial No. 781,443.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONIDAS D. WOOD- RUFF, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Hattiesburg, in the county of Forrest and State ofMississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fluid-Pressure Couplings for Train-Pipes; and I do hereby. declare the.

following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon,which form apart of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in fluid pressurecoupler heads for use upon railway trains and the object in view is toproduce a simple and efficient device of this nature so arranged that acombination triple engaging device serves, when the heads becomeengaged, to hold the heads in a securely locked relation to each otheragainst lateral or aXial move ments. I

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, withthe numerals of reference marked thereon, form apart of thisspecification and in which Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional viewthrough two fluid pressure coupler heads, illustrating my improved meansfor locking the same securely together. Fig. 2 is a vertical centralsectional view. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through a modifiedform of the interlocking means the section being taken on the dot anddash line in Fig. 4:. Fig. 4 is a retail horizontal sectional view ofthe modified form. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of two couplers connectedtogether,

and Fig. 6 is a detail view in perspective of one of the coupler heads.

Reference .now being had to the details of the drawings by numeral, 1designates a coupling head'adapted to be connected to suitablesupporting means, not shown, underneath the draw head of a car couplerand is provided upon one side thereof with the inclined guiding arms 3with a recess l intermediate the inner ends thereof, said arms beingadapted to guide a pin 49. projecting from the opposite face of anothercoupler to be interlocked therewith. Adjacent to said recess and formedvertically in the end of the coupler is a slot 7 with closed 1 top andbottom 8 and 9 respectively, and

projecting from the opposite edge of the coupler is a tongue, designatedby numeral 10, the upper and lower edges of which are inclined, as shownclearly in the vertical sectional view of the drawings, and adapted tocorrespond to the inner inclined ends of the top and bottom 8 and 9 ofthe slot, said diverging guiding arms 3 further being adapted to guidethe tongue 10 laterally into the slot 7 Said coupler heads are shown asbeing provided witha plurality of passageways leading therethrough anddesignated respectively by numerals 13, 14 and 15 to which pipes, notshown, are adapted to be connected in any suitable manner through whichsteam, air or other fluid may be con. ducted but which does not form apart of the'present invention and hence further detailed description ofthese features is not deemed necessaryin the present application. Byreference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the orifices for the train pipeductsor openings are arranged with their axes transversely of the heads,and they should, as a consequence, be brought together by a lateralmovement of the heads.

forming the sockets 7 and tongues 10 with the inner face of the tongueand the corresponding. face of the socket substantially parallelwith thelongitudinal axis of the head, and the outer face ofthe tongue and thecorresponding face of the socket inclined, said inclination of thesocket wall This result 1S accomplished in the present structurebyforming a continuation of the inclination of the heads tightly intocontact. This con struction also results in thetwo heads being made tooccupy a slight angle with respect to each other, as best seen in Figs.1 and 3, where it will be noted that the longi tudinal axis of of theheads when coupled do not exactly coincide, but are offset slightly withrespect to each other.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, I have shown a slight modification of myinvention in.

which the tongue or projection upon the for ward head of the coupler isprovided with a of the drawings, areadaptedto receive the ribs 18 formedintegral with the walls of the slot 17, thereby making a more secureinterlocking "feature to the present inven{ tion. WVhen two couplerheads of similar constructionv are brought together, it will be notedthat the projecting tongueon each head will engage the inner surface ofthe divergent guiding arms on the opposite head; and each pin projectinglaterally from said tongues will engage the recesses between theopposite divergent guiding arms, thus afiording with said tongue, pinand guiding arms on each opposite head, a triple guiding means insuringaccurate engagement ofthe heads. When the two coupler heads of similarconstruction arethus brought-together, it will be noted that'the saidprojecting tongue upon each head will engage a slot upon the oppositecoupling, the inclined edges at the top and bottom of the tonguehavingasecure 'wedging contact against the inclinedtop and bottom wallsof the slot, while the said pins which are integral with the outer faces,of the tongues or projections are adapted, when the heads becomelocked, to engage the recesses formed at the inner ends and base of theguiding arms, thus each of the triple engaging means as set forth,whenthe heads become engaged, serve in combination as a double lock, onelook being formed incomjbination when the projections or tongues engagethe corresponding slots on the oppo site heads, and the other lock beingformed by the projecting integral pins engaging the opposite recesses atthe inner ends of oppofsite divergingguiding arms, thus affording anabsolute and secure locking means for the coupler heads againsteitheraxial, lateral or other movements.

The tongue 10 is made broad at the end in order to bridge the spacebetween the divergent-guide arms or to insure the engagement of the endof the tongue with the inclined faces of the arms, when the pin entersbetween the said arms. In other words,

7 the pins and divergent edges of thearms center the heads verticallyand the tongues and inclined facesof the arms center the headstransversely. Both centering means operate simultaneously, for it willbe noted that the pins are relatively long, projecting practically asfar from the longitudinal axis of the head as do the divergent arms, andconsequently will enter between the arms of the cooperating head whenthe heads are in any relation which will permit of their being coupled.

The centering plns, when seated in the recesses at the base of thedivergent arms,

. operation with serve as an important element in looking the heads inalinement with each other, inasmuch as they constitute bearingsintermediate the bearings formed by the tongues seating in the socketsbeyond the base of the divergent arms and prevent any pivotal movementor tendency of the headsto wedge open when subjected to; straintransverse of jtheir longitudinal axis.

What I claim to be newis: a i 1. In an automatic train pipe coupling, acoupling member comprising a perforated coupler head having a'pair-ofdivergent guiding arms both located on" the same side of thelongitudinal axis of the headsand both inclined in the same directionaway from said axis, there beinga' socket having top, bottom and sidewalls at the base of said arms for receiving a tongue on the'companioncoupling, a broad forwardly "proj ecting tongue on the opposite side ofthe head from, but of less length than, said arms, adapted to seat-inthe socket in. and be guided by the arms on the companion head,

and a guiding pin projecting transversely from the outer face of said.tongue for cothe armson the companion head. V 1 I v 2. An automatictrain pipe coupling embodying opposite heads of correspondingconstruction, each head having on one side of its longitudinal axis,divergent guiding arms both incl ned 1n thesame direction away'from saidaxis,' a recess between said arms and a vertically elongated socketextending inwardly beyond the base of the arms, and having top, bottomand side walls, each head'also havingon the opposite I side of itslongitudinal axis a broad tongue projecting beyond the-base of, but ofless length than the arms, to seat in the socket in'thecoeperating head,and a pin projecting laterally to cooperate with the divergent arms andseat in the recess between the arms on the coiiperatinghead, the recessand pm on each head belng out ofallnement with each other transverselyof-the head,

whereby relative pivotal movement of 4 coupled heads is prevented.

3. In an automatic train-pipe coupling, a coupling member comprising acoupler head provided with an air p'assagetherethrough and having uponone side of its longitudinal axis diverging guiding arms with a recessintermediate'the inner ends thereof, asocket extending inwardly beyondthe base of the arms andhaving top, bottom" and side walls, a broadforwardly extending tongue on the opposite side of the longitudinal axisfrom the divergent arms, formedto seat in the socket in the' compani'onhead,and a laterally extending guide pin on the'outer side of thetongue, positioned outoftransverse alinemeht with the recess betweenthearms on the opposite side of the'head" and formed to seat in the recessbetween the arms of the companion head and out of transverse alinementwith the corresponding pin thereon.

4. An automatic train pipe coupling comprising companion coupler heads,each having upon one side of its longitudinal axis diverging guidingarms with a. recess intermediate the inner ends thereof, each headhaving a socket formed by a slot with closed top and bottom adjacent tosaid recess and extending inwardly beyond the inner end of the latter, aforwardly projecting tongue with laterally extending integral guide pinupon its outer face,-said tongue conforming to and adapted to engage thesides and top and bottom walls of the slot, and said pin adapted tointerlock with the recess when two heads are coupled together, as setforth.

5. An automatic train pipe coupling comprising companion coupler heads,each having upon one side of its longitudinal axis diverging guidingarms with a recess intermediate the inner ends thereof, each head havinga vertically elongated socket formed by a vertical slot with closed topand bottom which are inclined and which slot extends inwardly beyond theinner end of said recess, a broad tongue projecting from each head andinclined upon its upper and lower edges, adapted when interlocking withthe slot to have wedging action against the inclined top and bottom ofthe slot, and guide pins on the tongues adapted to engage said recessesand cooperating with the tongue to securely hold the coupler headsagainst relative axial, lateral and vertical movements, as set forth.

6. An automatic train pipe coupling comprising oppositely disposedyieldingly supported coupler heads, each embodying a pair of divergentguiding arms both located in a single plane inclined to the longitudinalaxis of the head, and each embodying on the opposite side of its axisfrom said guiding arms a forwardlyprojecting tongue having its innerface substantially parallel with said axis and its outer face inclinedinwardly toward said axis, each head having at the base of its divergentguiding arms a socket for the reception of the tongue on the companionhead, said socket being provided with top, bottom and side walls andhaving its inner face substantially parallel with the longitudinal axisof the head and its outer face inclined to correspond to the inclinationof the outer face of the tongue on the companion head, said heads beingprovided with cooperating transversely arranged train pipe duct openingsadapted to be brought together-by the cooperation of said tongues andsockets and transverse pins adapted to seat between said arms out ofalinement with each other whereby relative pivotal movement of the headsis prevented. In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

LEONIDAS D. WOODRUFF.

Witnesses:

A. L. HOUGH, FRANKLIN H. HOUGH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0.

